JP7306353B2 - Stopper release device and transfer line - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a stopper release device for releasing a stopper for restricting horizontal movement of a pallet, and a transfer line provided with the stopper release device.

Some transfer lines in factories and the like are provided with stoppers for preventing pallets placed on conveyors or the like from falling. For example, as the stopper, it is conceivable to provide a pin member which is provided on a conveyor or the like so as to be retractable in the vertical direction, and which is brought into contact with the side surface of the pallet or the like when projected upward.

Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 61-89449 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 62-043705

By the way, when the pallet is to be moved horizontally from the transport line and unloaded onto a truck or the like, it is necessary to release the stopper. In order to save labor, it is conceivable to use an actuator to raise and lower the pin member of the stopper.

Accordingly, the present disclosure was created in view of such circumstances, and its object is to provide a compact stopper releasing device and a transfer line provided with the stopper releasing device.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure,
a pedestal;
an expansion and contraction portion which is horizontally movably provided on the pedestal portion and telescopically driven to extend and contract in a vertical direction to reach an upper stopper;
an engaging portion provided in the expandable portion and extending in a horizontal direction to engage with the stopper;
an actuator for horizontally moving the telescopic part to the stopper and away from the stopper;
There is provided the stopper releasing device, wherein the expandable section is formed in a plurality of stages of three or more stages so as to be extendable.

Preferably, the expansion/contraction section includes a plurality of cylinders forming each of three or more upper and lower stages, and a plurality of connecting members connecting the cylinders in vertically adjacent stages in series, wherein the connecting member is When the lower cylinder of the upper cylinder and the lower cylinder connected to each other is retracted, the upper cylinder is arranged in parallel with the lower cylinder.

Preferably, the plurality of cylinders are arranged such that their piston rods are located above the cylinder portions, and the connecting member connects the piston rods of the lower cylinders and the cylinder portions of the upper cylinders. It is formed.

Preferably, the expandable section includes a guide mechanism for guiding expansion and contraction in the vertical direction.

Preferably, the engaging portion is horizontally extendable.

Further, according to one aspect of the present disclosure,
a support leg installed on the floor;
a pair of conveyors provided in parallel on the support legs;
a pallet stand placed across the pair of conveyors;
a pallet placement section formed on the pallet table for placing the pallet;
a stopper provided on the upper part of the pallet table so as to be vertically movable, which locks the pallet when moved upward and releases the lock when the pallet is moved downward;
A stopper release device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The conveying line is provided, wherein the stopper releasing device is provided on the floor so as to position the expandable portion between the conveyors.

According to the above aspect, it is possible to provide a compact stopper releasing device and a transfer line equipped with the stopper releasing device.

1 is a perspective view of a transfer line according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the transfer line in which the carriage has reached the loading/unloading position; It is a side sectional view of a truck. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a main part of a transfer line; FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the stopper release device in the housed state; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 5; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the stopper release device in an extended state; FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 7; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 4; FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the stopper releasing device extended upward from the state of FIG. 9; FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the stopper releasing device horizontally moved from the state of FIG. 10; FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the stopper releasing device in which the stopper is released from the state of FIG. 11; FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a transport line from which a pallet is transported from the state of FIG. 12; It is a perspective view of a stopper releasing device showing another embodiment.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in FIG. 2, the forward, backward, leftward, rightward, and downward directions in the embodiment described later are based on the direction in which the pallet 3 is transported from the conveyor line 4 to the transfer carriage 5 as the front. However, each direction in this embodiment is used for convenience of explanation, and represents relative positional relationships between members described later.

1 and 2 are perspective views of a conveying line 2 to which a stopper releasing device 1 according to this embodiment is applied. First, the transport line 2 will be explained.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the transport line 2 includes a conveyor line 4 for transporting the pallet 3, and the pallet 3 on the conveyor line 4 is carried out to the transfer carriage 5, and the pallet 3 on the transfer carriage 5 is transferred to the conveyor line. A pallet loading/unloading device 6 for loading onto 4 is provided.

The pallet 3 is for placing a work 7 such as an automobile part. In this embodiment, the workpiece 7 is drum-shaped and placed on the pallet 3 via a support table 8 (see FIG. 3). The pallet 3 has a shape in which four corners are chamfered in a rectangular top view, that is, the lengths of the front side, the rear side, the left side, and the right side are approximately the same, and the oblique side inclined with respect to each of the sides is Formed in a shorter octagonal shape. The pallet 3 includes a bottom portion 3a formed in a horizontal plate shape, and an edge wall portion 3b bent from the outer peripheral edge of the bottom portion 3a and extending upward.

The conveyor line 4 includes a support leg 9 installed on a floor 60, a pair of conveyors 10 provided in parallel on the support leg 9, a pallet table 11 placed across these conveyors 10, a pallet A pallet placing portion 12 formed on a table 11 for placing the pallet 3 thereon, a stopper 13 provided on the upper portion of the pallet table 11 so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and a stopper releasing device 1 for releasing the stopper 13. and

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 9, the support leg 9 includes leg portions 9a spaced apart in the front-rear direction, and beam portions 9b extending between the upper ends of the leg portions 9a.

The conveyor 10 is composed of a roller conveyor. The pair of conveyors 10 are arranged parallel to each other in a track shape and spaced apart in the front-rear direction. Further, a traveling guide 14 for guiding the traveling pallet table 11 is installed between the conveyors 10 . The travel guide 14 is made of a bar and extends parallel to the conveyor 10 . A pair of traveling guides 14 are arranged in parallel.

The pallet table 11 is configured by a cart. The pallet base 11 includes a carriage body 15 formed by assembling rod-shaped frames into a frame shape, a sled portion 16 provided extending in the horizontal direction at the lower end of the carriage body 15 and mounted on the conveyor 10, and wheels (not shown). Prepare. The carriage body 15 is elongated in the left-right direction so that a plurality of pallets 3 (three in this embodiment) can be placed side by side in the left-right direction. Further, the front pillars 15 a positioned at the front end of the rod-shaped frame forming the carriage body 15 are arranged so as to correspond to the corners of the pallet 3 placed on the carriage body 15 . The sled portion 16 is arranged so as to sandwich the pair of travel guides 14 from the outside. As a result, the traveling guide 14 guides the sled portion 16 .

The pallet placement section 12 is composed of a roller conveyor. The pallet placing portion 12 includes a pair of bearing portions 17 spaced apart in the front-rear direction, and a plurality of rollers 18 that span between the bearing portions 17 . The pallet placement section 12 extends across the left and right ends of the pallet table 11 . Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of areas LA, CA, and RA for placing the pallet 3 are set in advance on the pallet placing section 12 . Specifically, the areas LA, CA, and RA set on the pallet placing section 12 are the left end area LA formed at the left end position of the pallet placing section 12 and the center of the pallet placing section 12 in the left-right direction. and a right end area RA formed at the right end position of the pallet placement section 12 .

As shown in FIG. 3, the stopper 13 is provided on a lifting guide 19 provided on the pallet table 11 so as to be movable up and down. The lift guide 19 is formed in a tubular shape extending vertically, and is provided on each of the front pillars 15a. As shown in FIG. 4 , the lift guide 19 is located in front of the pallets 3 arranged in the left end area LA, the center area CA, and the right end area RA of the pallet placing section 12 in a top view, and in the left-right direction. It is arranged so that the position overlaps with each oblique side 3 c on the front side of the pallet 3 .

As shown in FIG. 3, the stopper 13 includes a pin member 20 that is vertically movably inserted through a pair of vertically adjacent lift guides 19, and a handle portion 21 that spans between the pin members 20. and a flange portion 22 provided on each pin member 20 so as to be positioned above the elevation guide 19 .

The pin member 20 is formed in a rod shape extending in the vertical direction. Also, the pin member 20 is formed to have a circular cross section. An upper end portion of the pin member 20 is formed in a conical shape whose diameter decreases upward. The handle portion 21 is provided between the pin members 20 below the lift guide 19 . The flange portion 22 is for receiving a spring 23 which will be described later, and extends radially outward from the pin member 20 . The spring 23 is composed of a coil spring and provided in a compressed state between the flange portion 22 and the lift guide 19 . As a result, the stopper 13 is urged upward and locked by the lift guide 19 . As shown in FIG. 4, the pin member 20 is arranged near the front of the oblique side 3c on the front side of the pallet 3 on the pallet placing portion 12, and when the pallet 3 is moved forward, the oblique side 3c to restrict forward movement of the pallet 3.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 9, the pallet loading/unloading device 6 is provided behind the conveyor line 4 and behind the position where the pallet table 11 stops for pallet loading/unloading. That is, the pallet loading/unloading position P is the position of the conveyor line 4 adjacent to the front of the pallet loading/unloading device 6 . When the pallet table 11 stops at the pallet loading/unloading position P, any one of the left end area LA, the central area CA, and the right end area RA is selectively arranged at the pallet loading/unloading position P. The pallet loading/unloading device 6 includes a pillar 24 erected on the floor 60, a telescopic drive unit 25 provided on the pillar 24 and capable of extending forward and retractable, and a front end of the telescopic driving unit 25 attached to the pallet 3. and a hand portion 26 to be engaged.

A double floor 61 is installed on the floor 60 in front of the conveyor line 4 so that the transfer carriage 5 can travel. The height of the double floor 61 is set to approximately the same height as the conveyor 10 . The transfer carriage 5 reciprocates between a position on the double floor 61 adjacent to the front of the pallet loading/unloading position P and a work mounting position (not shown).

By the way, when the pallet 3 is horizontally moved from the pallet table 11 and carried out onto the transfer carriage 5, the stopper 13 must be released. In order to save labor, it is conceivable to use an actuator to raise and lower the pin member 20 of the stopper 13, but if the stroke amount of the actuator is large, there is a risk that the entire equipment will be large.

Therefore, the transfer line 2 according to the present embodiment includes a stopper release device 1, which will be described later. The stopper releasing device 1 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the stopper releasing device 1 is provided on the floor 60 so that the expandable portion 31 is positioned between the conveyors 10 at the pallet loading/unloading position P. As shown in FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 5, 6, 7 and 8, the stopper releasing device 1 includes a base portion 30, and the base portion 30 is provided so as to be movable in the horizontal direction so as to move vertically to reach the upper stopper 13. An extendable portion 31 telescopically driven to extend and retract, an engaging portion 32 provided in the extendable portion 31 and extending horizontally to engage with the stopper 13 (see FIG. 9), and the extendable portion 31 approaching the stopper 13. an actuator 33 for moving horizontally to separate them.

The pedestal part 30 is formed in a plate shape and installed on the floor 60 of the pallet loading/unloading position P. As shown in FIG. A slide mechanism 34 is provided on the pedestal portion 30 to slide the expandable portion 31 in the front-rear direction. The slide mechanism 34 includes a pair of parallel rails 34a extending in the front-rear direction on the pedestal 30, and sliders 34b slidably provided on the respective rails 34a.

The expansion/contraction part 31 is configured by connecting cylinders 41, 42, and 43 so as to form three upper and lower stages. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the lowest cylinder 41 will be referred to as the lower cylinder 41, the middle cylinder 42 will be referred to as the middle cylinder 42, and the uppermost cylinder 43 will be referred to as the upper cylinder 43. . Also, the lower cylinder 41 and the middle cylinder 42 are connected via a first connecting member 44 . The middle cylinder 42 and the upper cylinder 43 are connected via a second connecting member 45 . Also, the lower cylinder 41, the middle cylinder 42 and the upper cylinder 43 are formed to have substantially the same structure. Therefore, the structure of the lower cylinder 41 will be described in detail below, and the structures of the middle cylinder 42 and the upper cylinder 43 will be briefly described.

The lower cylinder 41 is composed of a cylinder with a guide mechanism that operates with compressed air. The lower cylinder 41 has three rods 39 and 40 and a cylinder portion 38 . The three rods 39 and 40 are arranged in a line when viewed from above. Among these three rods 39 , 40 , one rod 39 located in the center is a piston rod 39 and the other two rods 40 are guide rods 40 . The piston rod 39 is fixed to a piston (not shown) inside the cylinder portion 38 and moves up and down from the cylinder portion 38 by means of compressed air supplied into the cylinder portion 38 . The guide rod 40 is provided in the cylinder portion 38 so as to be vertically slidable. As a result, the guide rod 40 accurately guides the elevation of the first connecting member 44 . The lower cylinder 41 is erected and arranged so as to extend and contract in the vertical direction. Also, the lower cylinder 41 is arranged such that the piston rod 39 and the guide rod 40 are positioned above the cylinder portion 38 . In addition, the cylinder portion 38 is formed in a rectangular shape elongated in the direction in which the three rods 39 and 40 are arranged when viewed from above.

The lower cylinders 41 are arranged on both left and right sides of the stopper releasing device 1 with a space therebetween. The pair of lower cylinders 41 are provided on a base 46 and integrally coupled via the base 46 . The base 46 is formed in a plate shape, and is provided so as to straddle the left and right sliders 34b. The lower cylinder 41 is arranged such that the piston rod 39 and the guide rod 40 are aligned in the front-rear direction when viewed from above.

The first connecting member 44 connects the piston rod 39 and the guide rod 40 of the lower cylinder 41 and the cylinder portion 38 of the middle cylinder 42 . The first connecting member 44 includes a first rod coupling portion 47 that couples the piston rods 39 of the pair of lower cylinders 41 together, and a first downwardly extending portion 48 that extends downward from the first rod coupling portion 47. , and a first cylinder support portion 49 that is coupled to the first downward extension portion 48 and supports the intermediate stage cylinder 42 .

The first rod coupling portion 47 is formed in a plate shape and provided to bridge between the piston rods 39 of the pair of lower cylinders 41 . Each guide rod 40 of the left and right lower cylinders 41 is also coupled to the first rod coupling portion 47 . The first rod coupling portion 47 is formed in a rectangular frame shape elongated in the left-right direction when viewed from above. A first cylinder insertion hole 50 for inserting the intermediate cylinder 42 is formed in the center of the first rod coupling portion 47 . The first cylinder insertion hole 50 is formed in a rectangular shape elongated in the left-right direction when viewed from above.

The first downwardly extending portions 48 are rod-shaped and extend downward from the first rod coupling portion 47 in the vicinity of the first cylinder insertion hole 50 . Specifically, the upper end of the first downwardly extending portion 48 is connected to the first rod coupling portions 47 near the four corners of the first cylinder insertion hole 50 . That is, a total of four first downwardly extending portions 48 are provided on the first rod coupling portion 47 so as to be separated from each other in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. The first cylinder support portion 49 is formed in a horizontal plate shape and connected to the lower ends of the four first downwardly extending portions 48 .

A pair of intermediate cylinders 42 are arranged on the first cylinder supporting portion 49 of the first connecting member 44 so as to be spaced apart in the left-right direction. Further, these middle cylinders 42 are positioned between the left and right lower cylinders 41 . As shown in FIG. 6, the height T2 of the middle cylinder 42 when retracted is set smaller than the height T1 of the lower cylinder 41 when retracted. More specifically, when the lower cylinder 41 and the middle cylinder 42 are retracted, the second rod coupling portion 51 of the second connecting member 45, which will be described later, is positioned in the first cylinder insertion hole 50 of the first connecting member 44. The height dimension T2 of the intermediate stage cylinder 42 is set as follows. The intermediate cylinder 42 is arranged such that the piston rod 39 and the guide rod 40 are aligned in the front-rear direction when viewed from above.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 , the second connecting member 45 connects the piston rod 39 and guide rod 40 of the middle cylinder 42 and the cylinder portion 38 of the upper cylinder 43 . The second connecting member 45 includes a second rod coupling portion 51 that couples the piston rods 39 of the pair of intermediate cylinders 42 together, and a second downwardly extending portion 52 that extends downward from the second rod coupling portion 51 . , and a second cylinder support portion 53 that is coupled to the second downward extension portion 52 and supports the upper cylinder 43 .

The second rod coupling portion 51 is formed in a plate shape and provided to bridge between the piston rods 39 of the pair of intermediate cylinders 42 . Each guide rod 40 of the left and right intermediate cylinders 42 is also coupled to the second rod coupling portion 51 . The second rod coupling portion 51 is formed in a rectangular shape that is elongated in the left-right direction when viewed from above, and is sized to be inserted into the first cylinder insertion hole 50 of the first coupling member 44 . A second cylinder insertion hole 54 for inserting the upper cylinder 43 is formed in the center of the second rod coupling portion 51 . The second cylinder insertion hole 54 is formed in a rectangular shape elongated in the left-right direction when viewed from above.

The second downward extending portion 52 is formed in a rod shape and extends downward from the second rod coupling portion 51 in the vicinity of the second cylinder insertion hole 54 . Specifically, the upper end of the second downwardly extending portion 52 is connected to the second rod coupling portions 51 near the four corners of the second cylinder insertion hole 54 . That is, a total of four second downwardly extending portions 52 are provided on the second rod coupling portion 51 so as to be separated from each other in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. The second cylinder support portion 53 is formed in a horizontal plate shape and connected to the lower ends of the four second downwardly extending portions 52 .

The upper cylinder 43 is arranged on the second cylinder support portion 53 of the second connecting member 45 . Also, the upper cylinder 43 is positioned between the middle cylinders 42 . As shown in FIG. 6, the height T3 of the upper cylinder 43 when retracted is set substantially equal to the height T2 of the middle cylinder 42 when retracted. More specifically, when the middle cylinder 42 and the upper cylinder 43 are retracted, the height dimension T3 of the upper cylinder 43 is set so that the engaging portion 32, which will be described later, overlaps the second connecting member 45 with a slight gap. set. The upper cylinder 43 is arranged such that the piston rod 39 and the guide rod 40 are aligned in the horizontal direction when viewed from above.

In addition, the expansion-contraction part 31 is not restricted to this. The expansion/contraction part 31 may be formed in a plurality of stages, ie, three or more stages in the vertical direction so as to be extendable and retractable. That is, the expansion/contraction part 31 has a plurality of cylinders 41, 42, and 43 that constitute each of three or more upper and lower stages, and the cylinders of the adjacent stages (for example, the lower cylinder 41 and the middle cylinder 42) in series. A plurality of connecting members 44 and 45 are provided to be connected, and the connecting members 44 and 45 are connected to the upper cylinder (for example, the middle cylinder 42) and the lower cylinder (for example, the lower cylinder 41). When the cylinders are retracted, the cylinders on the upper side are arranged in parallel with the cylinders on the lower side. The connecting member 36 is formed to connect the piston rod 39 and the guide rod 40 of the lower cylinder (for example, the lower cylinder 41) and the cylinder portion 38 of the upper cylinder (for example, the middle cylinder 42). Good.

The engaging portion 32 is formed in a horizontal plate shape. Further, the engaging portion 32 is formed with a claw portion 32a extending forward. The claw portions 32 a are formed on both left and right sides of the engaging portion 32 . A distance W1 (see FIG. 3) between the left and right outer ends of the pair of claws 32a is set substantially equal to the length W2 (see FIG. 7) of the handle portion 21 exposed between the lifting guides 19. As shown in FIG.

The actuator 33 is composed of a cylinder with a guide mechanism operated by compressed air. The cylinder portion 38 of the actuator 33 is provided on the base portion 30 , and the piston rod 39 and guide rod 40 of the actuator 33 are provided on the base 46 . As a result, the actuator 33 moves the extensible portion 31 forward during extension and retraction, and moves the extensible portion 31 backward during retraction. Note that the piston rod 39 and the guide rod 40 of the actuator 33 may be provided on the base portion 30 and the cylinder portion 38 of the actuator 33 may be provided on the base 46 .

Further, the stopper releasing device 1 positions the engaging portion 32 below the conveyor 10 when the expandable portion 31 is contracted, and positions the engaging portion 32 above the handle portion 21 of the stopper 13 when the expandable portion 31 is expanded. is formed so as to be positioned at As a result, the stopper releasing device 1 can prevent or suppress obstruction of the travel of the pallet table 11 when the telescopic portion 31 is retracted, and can move the engaging portion 32 to the handle of the stopper 13 when the telescopic portion 31 is extended. 21 can be reached. A compressed air supply source (not shown) for supplying compressed air to the actuator 33 , the lower cylinder 41 , the middle cylinder 42 and the upper cylinder 43 is connected to the stopper releasing device 1 . A control panel (not shown) for controlling this is connected to the compressed air supply source.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the pallet table 11 travels leftward on the automatically operated conveyor 10 . At this time, the lower cylinder 41, the middle cylinder 42, and the upper cylinder 43, which constitute the extensible portion 31 of the stopper releasing device 1, are retracted downward. Therefore, the stopper releasing device 1 is positioned below the conveyor 10 and does not interfere with the travel of the pallet table 11.例文帳に追加

Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 9, the pallet table 11 reaches the pallet loading/unloading position P adjacent to the pallet loading/unloading device 6. FIG. At this time, the pallet 3 to be carried out to the transfer carriage 5 (the pallet 3 in the central area CA in the illustrated example) is selectively arranged at the pallet carry-in/out position P. Further, the transfer carriage 5 automatically travels along a preset route and reaches a position in front of the pallet loading/unloading position P and adjacent to the pallet loading/unloading position P.

When carrying out the pallet 3 on the pallet table 11 onto the transfer carriage 5, as shown in FIG. As a result, the expandable portion 31 is extended upward, and the engaging portion 32 is moved to a position above the handle portion 21 of the stopper 13 . After that, as shown in FIG. 11, the actuator 33 is extended. As a result, the base 46 is pushed forward, the extendable portion 31 and the engaging portion 32 on the base 46 are moved forward, and the claw portion 32a of the engaging portion 32 is moved to a position vertically above the handle portion 21. be done. At this time, since the slider 34b provided on the base 46 travels along the rail 34a, the extendable portion 31 and the engaging portion 32 are stably slid forward.

After that, as shown in FIG. 12, the upper cylinder 43 is retracted to lower the engaging portion 32 . As a result, the claw portion 32a of the engaging portion 32 pushes the handle portion 21 downward. The force received by the handle portion 21 is transmitted to the spring 23 via the pin member 20 and the flange portion 22, causing the spring 23 to retract. Thereby, the pin member 20 is lowered. At this time, the claw portion 32a pushes the handle portion 21 near the left and right pin members 20 downward. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the pin member 20 from tilting with respect to the elevation guide 19, and to suppress the friction generated between the elevation guide 19 and the pin member 20. As shown in FIG. Accordingly, the pin member 20 can be smoothly lowered with a small force. Further, the stopper 13 is released by moving the pin member 20 downward from the pallet 3 .

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 13, the telescopic drive unit 25 of the pallet loading/unloading device 6 is extended forward to push the pallet 3 forward. At this time, since the stopper 13 is positioned below the pallet 3 , the pallet 3 is slid forward and carried out onto the transfer carriage 5 .

Thereafter, the pallet carry-in/carry-out device 6 and the stopper release device 1 are returned to their original states by carrying out the procedure opposite to that described above. Specifically, the telescopic drive unit 25 of the pallet loading/unloading device 6 is retracted backward. Also, the upper cylinder 43 is extended. As a result, the engaging portion 32 is lifted, and the stopper 13 is also lifted. After that, when the handle part 21 hits the lift guide 19, the stopper 13 stops rising. After that, the engaging portion 32 is further raised and separated from the stopper 13 . After that, when the upper cylinder 43 is completely extended, the actuator 33 is retracted. As a result, the elastic portion 31 and the engaging portion 32 move rearward. After that, the lower cylinder 41, the middle cylinder 42 and the upper cylinder 43 are retracted. As a result, the middle cylinder 42 and the upper cylinder 43 are lowered to a height that is parallel to the lower cylinder 41 . Therefore, the stopper releasing device 1 can be made extremely compact, and the stopper releasing device 1 can be installed in a narrow space at the pallet loading/unloading position P.

Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above in detail, the present disclosure is also capable of other embodiments as follows.

(1) Although the engaging portion 32 is formed in a plate shape, it is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the engaging portion 32 may be formed so as to be extendable in the front-rear direction. Specifically, the engaging portion 32 includes an engaging base portion 32b provided on the upper cylinder 43, an actuator 32c provided on the engaging base portion 32b so as to extend and contract forward, and a claw portion 32a provided on the front end of the actuator 32c. may be provided. Also, the engaging portion 32 may be formed so as to extend and contract horizontally such as leftward, rightward, and rearward. According to this, it is possible to deal with a pallet table 11 of a different type in which the position of the stopper 13 is different in the horizontal direction from the pallet table 11 described above.

(2) The expansion/contraction part 31 is configured by connecting the cylinders 35 operated by compressed air in series, but the invention is not limited to this. The cylinder 35 may be operated by another fluid such as oil, or may be electrically operated. Further, the expansion/contraction section 31 may be configured by connecting expansion mechanisms using racks and pinions in three or more stages in series, for example.

(3) Although the cylinder 35 is composed of a cylinder with a guide mechanism, it may be composed of a cylinder without a guide mechanism. In this case, the expansion/contraction part 31 may be separately provided with a guide mechanism for guiding expansion/contraction in the vertical direction. That is, the guide mechanism provided in the expandable section 31 may be integrated with the cylinder, or may be formed separately from the cylinder. Moreover, the expansion/contraction part 31 may not comprise a guide mechanism.

(4) The lower cylinder 41, the middle cylinder 42, and the upper cylinder 43 are arranged with the piston rod 39 positioned above the cylinder portion 38, but this is not the only option. The postures of the lower cylinder 41, the middle cylinder 42, and the upper cylinder 43 may be upside down.

(5) The middle cylinder 42 is placed on the first cylinder support portion 49 of the first connecting member 44, and the upper cylinder 43 is placed on the second cylinder support portion 53 of the second connecting member 45. However, it is not limited to this. For example, any portion of the cylinder portion 38 of the middle cylinder 42 may be fixed to the first cylinder support portion 49 and any portion of the cylinder portion 38 of the upper cylinder 43 may be fixed to the second cylinder support portion 53 .

(6) Although the handle portion 21 is provided so as to span between the pin members 20, it is not limited to this. For example, the handle portion 21 may have a claw-like shape protruding leftward or rightward from the pin member 20 .

(7) Although the pallet table 11 is configured by a carriage, it may be configured by a table without wheels.

(8) Although the pallet placing section 12 is configured by a roller conveyor, it is not limited to this. For example, the pallet placement section 12 may be configured with a smooth table.

1 stopper release device 30 pedestal portion 13 stopper 31 expansion/contraction portion 32 engaging portion 33 actuator 35 cylinder 36 connecting member

Claims (5)

a pedestal;
an expansion and contraction portion which is horizontally movably provided on the pedestal portion and telescopically driven to extend and contract in a vertical direction to reach an upper stopper;
an engaging portion provided in the expandable portion and extending in a horizontal direction to engage with the stopper;
an actuator for horizontally moving the telescopic part to the stopper and away from the stopper;
The expansion and contraction part is formed to be expandable and contractible in a plurality of stages of three or more stages ,
The expansion and contraction section includes a plurality of cylinders that form each of three or more upper and lower stages, and a plurality of connecting members that connect the cylinders in vertically adjacent stages in series,
The connecting member is configured to arrange the upper cylinder and the lower cylinder in parallel when the lower cylinder of the upper cylinder and the lower cylinder connected by the connecting member is retracted.
A stopper release device characterized by: The plurality of cylinders are arranged such that their piston rods are positioned above the cylinder portion,
The stopper releasing device according to claim 1 , wherein the connecting member is formed to connect the piston rod of the lower cylinder and the cylinder portion of the upper cylinder. The stopper releasing device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the expandable portion includes a guide mechanism that guides expansion and contraction in the vertical direction. The stopper releasing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the engaging portion is horizontally extendable. a support leg installed on the floor;
a pair of conveyors provided in parallel on the support legs;
a pallet stand placed across the pair of conveyors;
a pallet placement section formed on the pallet table for placing the pallet;
a stopper provided on the upper part of the pallet table so as to be vertically movable, which locks the pallet when moved upward and releases the lock when the pallet is moved downward;
and a stopper release device ,
The stopper release device is
a pedestal;
an expansion and contraction portion which is horizontally movably provided on the pedestal portion and telescopically driven to extend and contract in a vertical direction to reach an upper stopper;
an engaging portion provided in the expandable portion and extending in a horizontal direction to engage with the stopper;
an actuator for horizontally moving the telescopic part to the stopper and away from the stopper;
The expansion and contraction part is formed to be expandable and contractible in a plurality of stages of three or more stages,
The conveying line, wherein the stopper release device is provided on the floor so as to position the expandable section between the conveyors.

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